Enlightened leadership.

"Those who really seek the path to enlightenment dictate terms to their
mind. Then they proceed with strong determination."
Buddha

Much of the talk in leadership development circles today involves enlightened leadership. Most often, the discussion describes this in terms of a goal, or end state, to which all leaders should aspire. But, that is not an accurate evaluation. It detracts from the magnitude of what makes a leader. No subset of enlightened leaders who have "made it" exists within a larger group of those who have not. This notion equates leadership with a position or title, which it is not. It is a calling. The qualities attributed to enlightened leadership are those essential to every effective leader. Effective leaders have vision, constantly seek insight, and continually reflect on and look with honesty at their choices and actions to develop better self-knowledge. At first blush, it seems that enlightened leadership is really just a grandiose name for common effective leadership.

But, effective leadership is not that common. What, then, separates an enlightened leader from an effective one? Perhaps, it stems from awareness, those who are cognizant of their choices, decisions, beliefs, and actions. Effective leaders who become enlightened realize that enlightenment is not the idealistic ultimate goal but, instead, just the beginning--that unidentifiable moment, event, or insight that thrusts them on the lifelong path of conscious leadership development. Lao Tzu said, "Knowing others is wisdom, knowing yourself is enlightenment." From this perspective, enlightened leaders constitute individuals who recognize that they have stepped onto the path and accept the responsibilities and challenges that come with the journey. Enlightenment is not a type of leader; it is the conscious decision to grow and develop as a leader with no turning back. It is the spark of leadership fanned to a flame.

The best leaders will catch that spark and fan it to a flame over and over again. Each time they come to a new level of self-knowledge and self-mastery, they will become enlightened--not once, but often.

Deborah Southard, a leadership program specialist in the Office of Leadership Development at the FBI Academy, prepared Leadership Spotlight.